Muslim group demands apology from Harper, chief spokesman
A major Canadian Muslim group is demanding an apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his chief spokesman for a comment it says links the organization to the militant group Hamas.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims has filed a notice of libel in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that accuses Jason MacDonald of acting maliciously when he made the comment earlier this month.
The council had criticized the inclusion of a controversial rabbi in Harper's delegation that went to the Middle East last week.
The libel notice quotes MacDonald as saying, "We will not take seriously criticism from an organization with documented ties to a terrorist organization such as Hamas."
The notice is the first step in what could become a formal libel suit.
The council says MacDonald's comment was a deliberate attempt to discredit the group and Harper is responsible for the words uttered by his spokesman.
"The defamatory words were stated maliciously in order to discredit and insult an organization that did nothing other than exercise its constitutional right to freedom of expression to criticize a decision made by the prime minister," the libel notice says.
"Mr. MacDonald simply made up that statement in an effort to discredit NCCM and deflect its criticism of Mr. Harper."
The council describes itself as an independent, non-partisan, non-profit group which has worked for 14 years on human rights and civil liberties issues on behalf of Canadian Muslims.
A half-dozen other rights groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Association of University Teachers, have offered support to the Muslim group.
Muslim group demands apology from Harper, chief spokesman
A major Canadian Muslim group is demanding an apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his chief spokesman for a comment it says links the organization to the militant group Hamas.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims has filed a notice of libel in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that accuses Jason MacDonald of acting maliciously when he made the comment earlier this month.
The council had criticized the inclusion of a controversial rabbi in Harper's delegation that went to the Middle East last week.
The libel notice quotes MacDonald as saying, "We will not take seriously criticism from an organization with documented ties to a terrorist organization such as Hamas."
The notice is the first step in what could become a formal libel suit.
The council says MacDonald's comment was a deliberate attempt to discredit the group and Harper is responsible for the words uttered by his spokesman.
"The defamatory words were stated maliciously in order to discredit and insult an organization that did nothing other than exercise its constitutional right to freedom of expression to criticize a decision made by the prime minister," the libel notice says.
"Mr. MacDonald simply made up that statement in an effort to discredit NCCM and deflect its criticism of Mr. Harper."
The council describes itself as an independent, non-partisan, non-profit group which has worked for 14 years on human rights and civil liberties issues on behalf of Canadian Muslims.
A half-dozen other rights groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Association of University Teachers, have offered support to the Muslim group.
Muslim group demands apology from Harper, chief spokesman
